This sous vide immersion circulator the KitchenBoss comes with a powerful 1100 watts of power (so your water bath will heat really quickly) and includes a bonus 10 vacuum sealer bags (which is rare).
As with all sous vide immersion circulators, the KitchenBoss immersion circulator is ready to use straight away and is the only kitchen tool you need to master sous vide cooking.
You simply attach this immersion circulator to any pot, add water and drop in your ingredients (in sealed bags). Once your ingredients are cooked, you simply remove your ingredients from the bags, pan sear, BBQ or grill the surface of your ingredients (if you like) and serve.
In this article, we explore the pros and cons of the KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator. We also provide you with pro tips, recipes and answer FAQs about the KitchenBoss so you can get the most out of it.
Technical specifications
- 110-120V
- Temperature ranges from 104℉ to 194℉(40℃-90℃)
- User-friendly interface to set the time and temperature manually
- Circulator pump speed is 8 LMP Max
- Timer can be set up to 99 hours 59 minutes
- Touchscreen operated (rather than having any physical buttons)
Pros of the KitchenBoss immersion circulator
- Quiet
- Brings the water bath up to temperature very quickly (1100 watts of power is awesome!)
- For the price and the performance, it’s a great basic sous vide machine
- The immersion circulator comes with 10 extra vacuum sealer bags which is a bonus as most machines don’t come with additional bags
- Easy to read LED display
- The sleeve on the bottom half detaches to make it super easy to detach to dry out the heating element
- The digital readout is bright enough to read from a distance, even in dim light
- The temperature is controlled with a simple dial
- The unit is made with high quality materials and has a sturdy feel
Cons of the KitchenBoss immersion circulator
The cons listed below are not major show stoppers. If you are after a simple to use device, with no WiFi or Bluetooth bells and whistles, this sous vide immersion circulator should make it to your short list.
Here is some feedback from those who have used the KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator to date:
- It takes a bit of “trial/error” to master recipes since no recipes with temperature information come with the KitchenBoss immersion circulator
- The unit is reasonably large and heavy. The manufacturer could consider ways to make it a little more compact
- Some have found that setting the temperature and time is difficult because you have only an up or down button that when clicked briefly adjusts the temperature in 0.1 deg steps. Holding the button down for a short time puts into turbo mode and the temperature zooms up or down almost too fast to stop it at your preferred temperature
- The temperature cycles by +- 1.5 deg according to the display which is not good (but a separate thermoprobe digital thermometer in the far end of a large 15 liter sous vide tub can be helpful to confirm whether the correct temperature is being maintained
- The display of illuminated dots down the front of the unit are meant to show cooking time progress but they are a % of cook time. This is not a highly intuitive way of measuring time. Example: if you set the time for 2 hrs the first dot will go off after 12 minutes. If you set the time to 20 hrs the first dot goes off after 2 hrs (you may want to set a separate timer for your cook)
- The top of the tube just above the water line can get very hot
- The instructions for use could be improved and there is no video content online anywhere to assist you with troubleshooting. In addition, KitchenBoss does not have a US customer service phone number
- This model does not have any Bluetooth or remote reading functions
- This sous vide immersion circulator won’t go below 77° F. Some recipes call for a water bath temperature of below 77 degree F
- The interface shows the temperature of your water bath. But sous vide cooking is all about lengthy and exact cook times. Having to cycle back and forth with the timer is cumbersome and if you hold the button too long or hit it too many times, the timer stops and changes. You may then need to have a back up timer which is not ideal
- The clamping mechanism could be more robust (made of plastic except the screws)
Road tested sous vide recipes suitable for the KitchenBoss immersion circulator
Here are some recipes that other sous viders have tried with success:
Sous Vide King Salmon Green Curry
Cook for 40 mins at 112° with salt, pepper, sage, dill and olive oil (make slits in skin)
Sear skin side only in oil
Sear lemon slice in butter
Top with Thai green curry paste in coconut milk, over quinoa-rice ramen. A few drops of chili sesame oil (chili oil recipe: Soak chili flakes, the kind you get at the pizza parlor, in olive oil with some toasted sesame oil added for a couple of weeks. Strain).
Sous Vide Steak
Season with salt, pepper and some thyme
Cook at 120 degrees for 1 hour
Seared with a torch
Sous Vide Salmon
Season with salt and pepper
Cook at 124 degrees for 30 min
Sear in a pan
Small sous vide bottom round roast
131 degrees for 14 hours
Sear with a BernzOmatic TS8000 propane torch
KitchenBoss immersion circulator – The silent operator
For those of you unfamiliar with sous vide cooking, the immersion circulator moves water around your water bath to ensure consistency of ingredient cooking. Some immersion circulators make a bit of noise when going this.
But not the KitchenBoss. This unit is very quiet. In fact, at times the surface of the water may only look very slightly disturbed. So much so that some sous viders have reported that they weren’t sure if their unit was working correctly!
But the manufacturer assures users that the KitchenBoss immersion circulator does work correctly. Any deviations in water movement are designed to minimise power use. Now that’s pretty impressive!
Pro tips for using the KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator
We’ve rounded up some pro tips from other sous viders who have the KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator. With these tips, you’ll be a pro user in no time.
Pro Tip 1. Given there are not many specific recipes around for the KitchenBoss immersion circulator, use the Joule app for temperatures and times. Other sous viders have and they have found those guides to be “mostly spot-on”.
Pro Tip 2. Whilst the KitchenBoss immersion circulator has plenty of power (1100 watts) you can wrap your pot or water bath container in a towel to help maintain the heat better.
Pro Tip 3. The power indicator is red (danger/hot) when on and blue (safe/cool) when off. The display diligently continues displaying the temperature of the bath for a while once it’s been turned off instead of immediately shutting down which might lead to some confusion at first.
Pro Tip 4. To make sure the thermostat is accurate use an independent thermometer or two in the water bath. Compare those readings with that of the immersion circulator. If it reads higher or lower you’re your independent thermometers, you can calibrate the KitchenBoss immersion circulator (see instructions).
Pro Tip 5. This immersion circulator fits perfectly in a 6-quart Calphalon stock pot, which is all you need for a 2-person meal. But this immersion circulator works well in larger pots and water containers too.
Pro Tip 6. Some sous viders use the KitchenBoss immersion circulator with a 6-quart container but that’s likely to be a bit on the small side for some people. For even a small family you’ll probably want to get a 12-quart sous vide container. A plastic lid is recommended to reduce evaporation, but you can use plastic wrap if you prefer.
Pro Tip 7. You have to use the +/- dial to hone in your specific temperature first. Then hit the middle button to get it turned on. Some sous viders have commented this initial start process isn’t very clear in the directions provided.
Frequently Asked Questions | KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator
What containers and lids to I need to use with the KitchenBoss immersion circulator?
You can use a range of pots and water containers as your water bath. You just need to make sure that the clip of this immersion circulator fits over the lip of any container you use.
Many sous viders use the Rubbermaid commercial clear food storage containers (eg 12qt containers) with both the Rubbermaid lid (with no hole) and the EVERIE collapsible hinged sous vide container lid. This lid is compatible with Rubbermaid containers.
What is the minimum depth, maximum depth and recommended water bath capacity for the KitchenBoss immersion circulator?
The minimum depth is 2.6 inches and the maximum depth is 5.5 inches. It’s recommended that you use a pot or container with a capacity of 6-15 liters.
Can I use the KitchenBoss Immersion circulator in countries other than the USA?
To do so you need a transformer and a conversion plug. However, ordinary conversion plugs cannot withstand high power products such as this one.
What is the difference between G300 and G310?
The only difference is that the G310 is a little bigger.
What is the warranty of the KitchenBoss immersion circulator?
The KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator comes with a 1 year replacement guarantee and a 2 year warranty.
I see there is barely any water circulation even though the water was heated up to goal temp. Is there something wrong?
No. Probably not. The motor micro circulation system used by KitchenBoss’ sous vide immersion circulator is energy efficient – even if the water cycle is relatively small, it is slowly circulating. To the naked eye this is sometimes not easy to observe.
How many steaks can you cook at the same time?
It depends on the vessel you are using as your water bath. Some sous viders convert 33 quart coolers to become their water bath by cutting a round hole top the diameter of the device. It seals with the lid while in use keeping the temperature constant without the device having to be constantly heated.
With a cooler this size you may be able to cook up to 10 steaks easily at once. Although it depends on the size and thickness of your steaks. The larger the container you use as your water bath, the more food pouches you can fit in it.
As a guide, another sous vider has a 26 quart container which he has cooked 2 pork butts at the same time in.
Sous Vide Hub Verdict on the KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator
If you are new to the sous vide cooking game or just after a super simple sous vide immersion circulator, the KitchenBoss sous vide immersion circulator should be on your list of considerations. It is inexpensive and well regarded by sous viders who have used it. It’s silent operation is certainly a key strength as is it’s ability to heat your water bath super quickly.
If you are after a low technology (no WiFi, no Bluetooth) immersion circulator with decent power (1100 watts is at the top end of the power range) then this could well be the sous vide machine for you.